


You're my Wildflower

by Lamad



Series: IkeSoren Modern High School AU [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Goth/Nerd Soren, M/M, Math tutor Soren, Mutual Crushes, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sportboy Ike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:20:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lamad/pseuds/Lamad
Summary: Ike was the captain of the (American) football team at Crimea High and Soren was a nobody, but somehow fate... er, lack of understanding high school math has brought them together.
Relationships: Ike/Senerio | Soren
Series: IkeSoren Modern High School AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933873
Comments: 29
Kudos: 93





	1. Hyacinths and Heartbeats (September)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this the other day when I should've been studying for finals but here we are. I was surprised at the lack of Jock!Ike and Goth/Nerd!Soren, so I thought I'd take a stab at it.

**September**

Soren looked up from his place underneath the yellowing maple tree out across the school sports field. It was Soren’s last year at Crimea High, and he spent the dwindling September days sitting out under the tall trees that freckled the campus grounds while he read books from cover to cover. Be it for his academic enrichment or something he would read on his own, he especially took a liking to fantasy novels that told tales of monsters and knights. Soren loved the way the stories would take him away from his own life and situations. He lived with his father on the outskirts of town in a haunted-looking house, a place where the sun was rarely seen through the dense clouds, and the common thunder of rain was heard from overhead. His mother passed away giving birth to Soren, which left his father to reluctantly watch over him with disdain in his cold eyes. Even though his father had an obvious dislike towards his only son, Soren wasn’t normally bothered by it. He was rarely home due to business travels, so Soren would spend his time in his room and surround himself with stories and legends of old to whisk him away from the deep loneliness he wasn’t aware of.

He became very familiar with the library staff from the frequent visits there during after school hours and when the weather wasn't nice enough to sit under his favorite tree. Even though the library was large and expansive, Soren preferred to be outside; not because he had an affinity towards nature and bugs, but because he could watch the football team practice after classes had ended for the day. He had little interest in the sport itself, but his crimson eyes would be trained on the leader of the team.

Ike was his name. Ike had been captain of the football team since their second year, and they’ve won almost every game since. Through his leadership and camaraderie, he was able to turn around even the hardest matches from the other schools in the country. Soren had first taken a liking to Ike sometime during their first year when a group of upperclassmen teased Soren for the reddish birthmark on his forehead. From that moment on, Soren made sure to cover up his mark with makeup before he would go to school. At the time, Ike intercepted and saved him from them, despite also being a first-year himself. Ike was always larger in stature, with his broad shoulders and muscled arms, so he was easily able to seem intimidating when he wanted to.

Soren noticed Ike more and more in their interactions in the halls or in the sparse classes he had with him. The curve of his lips when he smiled or laughed, the twitch of his left eye when he was about to fall asleep on his desk. Even though Ike had probably forgotten that Soren existed by that point, he was content with finding joy in simply observing Ike on the field or during class.

Though starting tomorrow, Soren would have to put his “Ike watching” on hold for a little while. After class tomorrow was when he was to start tutoring in math. Soren was well versed in math amongst other subjects, so he thought he might as well earn a bit of money helping others where they struggle.

The head of mussed blue hair caught Soren’s eyes from out on the field, as Ike shook his head to get rid of his sweaty helmet hair. He laughed along with his friends, two of them Soren was able to name as Boyd and Ranulf. They made their way back to the bench where all their stuff was, and Ike began to push his belongings into his duffle bag. He paused and turned his head in the direction of where Soren was beneath the tree. Soren’s breath hitched slightly in his throat, and he suddenly felt shy. He thought that where he was below the leafy canopy and surrounded by the still green bushes was good camouflage, but he felt those sharp blue eyes pierce into him like he was exposed in the open.

Soren hurriedly shoved the books into his messenger bag and quickly started his way back home. He pressed his hand to his face and felt his skin radiating heat in embarrassment.

\---

Boyd brought the Gatorade bottle down from his lips to look at Ike, and glanced between his eyes and the trees next to the field.

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Ike? A bird or something?” Boyd asked his friend while he slung his gear across his shoulder.

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing. Also, we’re making pasta tonight if you still wanted to--.”

“Oh hell yes! You know I can’t turn down your mom’s cooking.” Boyd exclaimed enthusiastically.

“What? You invite Boyd over but not your best tackler? I’m hurt, Ike, I really am.” Ranulf feigned being offended and clutched at his chest over his heart.

“I thought you said you’re watching movies with Lethe tonight?” Ike asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“Yeah you’re right I am, I just want some hardy pasta made by your mom. Ike, how do I marry into your family?” Ranulf asked with the same playful tone.

“Unless you marry Ike, no can do. Mist and I have been dating for a year now and things are going smoothly.” Boyd said with something like pride in his voice.

“Aw, that’s too bad. Ike isn’t my type and I would do,” Ranulf took a pause, “almost anything. You want my organs? That’s the price I would pay for Ike’s family cooking.”

“Oh jeez, Ranulf, that’s nasty as shit. Though I do agree with you. Elena is a goddess.” Boyd said with affection in his voice.

Ike laughed at his friends’ banter and looked back to the trees silently in search of the red eyes that gazed back at him only a moment ago.

\---

Soren opened the creaky door to his house and scuffed his black boots on the mat before he stepped inside. His father’s car still wasn’t in the driveway, so it was going to be another night trying to find whatever was in the freezer for dinner. Soren thought to blame his pale skin and malnourishment on the microwave meals he ate and the lunches he got at school. He stepped up the creaky stairs and was greeted with a loud meow and the brush of a cat along the side of his leg. Soren smiled and brought his hand down to stroke along her black and white spine.

“Hey there, Micaiah. I’m not sure if I have any food for you today.” Soren said regretfully to the cat, who meowed in response.

Soren walked with Micaiah down the dimly lit hallway to his bedroom. He opened the door, flicked on the lights, and made his way over to the bed so he could put his bag down beside it. Soren’s room wasn’t the most impressive, there was a bed made with a thick comforter, a small desk covered with school papers, and a stack of books next to the wooden desk. Some of the dark green paint was chipping near the ceiling and windows. There were a few other sources of light, like the gray desk lamp and a larger lamp on the nightstand beside the bed.

Soren went to sit on the bed with Micaiah in tow and riffled through his bag in search of something. She mewled happily when Soren pulled out a meat stick he hadn’t eaten for lunch. He unwrapped it and held it out for her to smell, and it only took a second for her to start licking at it in glee. Micaiah wasn’t Soren’s pet, but a year ago she got into his room through his window he forgot to close before he left for school. It was raining when he came back and was surprised to see a wet cat glaring at him from the corner of his room. There weren’t any posters in the neighborhood about a missing cat, so he decided not to worry about it. Since then, he would leave the window open in case she needed shelter and would feed her when he could. 

He liked having a companion, and even if she didn’t show up all the time, it was nice to be around something that loved him.

\---

Classes had ended for the day and Soren was on his way over to the library where he would be tutoring someone in math. He was surprised that no one told him who exactly he would be helping, but he supposed it didn't matter as long as his teaching was useful for them. All he knew was that they were confused with algebra, so they must be an underclassman. By that point in the school curriculum, fourth-years should’ve been in a calculus class.

Once he entered the library, Soren went into the study room that was reserved for him and his tutee. He closed the door and put his black bag to the floor while he took out a couple of books and a binder filled with handwritten notes and examples. After he organized all of his material, he heard a thump on the door, though it was more of a courtesy knock because the person who knocked turned the handle before Soren could say anything.

Soren was prepared for really anyone else except for Ike to walk into the room, and suddenly the space around him felt a bit too tight. 

Ike was wearing his varsity jacket made up of reds and dark blues, and a pair of jeans on his muscular legs. A black backpack was slung across his left shoulder and a watch held tight on his wrist.

"Sorry I'm late, I got caught up talking with my coach," Ike paused and looked at Soren's wide eyes and blank face, "Er, this is tutoring for algebra, right? I could've sworn this was the right room." Ike took out a corner of paper from his front pocket that had the room number and looked to the door's metal plaque.

"Oh s-sorry, um, yeah this is algebra tutoring." Soren said awkwardly. Ike smiled widely and sat down on the chair halfway around the circular table they were at. 

"Okay awesome, thanks, Soren." Ike said as he leaned down to get the purple binder from his backpack. While he was bending down, he missed Soren touching at his face with the back of his hand to make sure he wasn't visibly blushing. His pale complexion made it very easy to see any red on his face.

“A-Anyway, what are you confused about with algebra? We have a couple of hours in here so feel free to ask any questions.” Soren said after he cleared his throat. His heart was still beating loud in his chest from being so close to Ike, and it didn’t help when he scooted his chair closer to show him his binder. Before that though, Ike took out a pair of reading glasses and placed them on his face. They were black and sat boldly across the bridge of his nose. Ike opened the purple cover to reveal pages of practice problems that his teacher gave him. The paper showed printed questions with various notes that were scribbled next to them, and Ike ran a hand through his blue hair.

“I just don’t understand why there are letters in math. It just makes me more confused.” Ike grumbled to Soren with slight exasperation in his voice. Soren nodded and began to clarify different meanings of the variables that were presented to him. He was able to see the cogs slowly turn in Ike’s head as he was explaining, and it brought joy into his heart seeing Ike smile when he was able to do one of the problems on his own. Soren’s nervousness began to melt away into a comfortable company with Ike as the minutes ticked by.

There were of course moments when neither of them would say anything, working on their own assignments. Ike glanced over to Soren, who had the butt of his pencil pressed to the corner of his bottom lip in deep thought. It was rather cute, he thought. 

“What’re you working on, Soren?” Ike asked with a smile, trying to understand the work he was doing, “Is that for your math class too?”

Soren starred up into those dark blue eyes and felt the corners of his mouth turn up. He brought his eyes back to his paper in both fear of a blush creeping back onto his cheeks and to point to the problem he was working on.

“Oh, no this is for my AP chemistry class. It’s pretty hard, I need to convert different quantities of these substances into various forms.” Soren looked back up and was met with a confused look on Ike’s face.

“But isn’t chemistry about chemical reactions and explosions? You’re pretty smart to understand this kind of stuff.” Ike praised. The pink that Soren was trying to suppress managed to peak through onto his skin, and he brought his hands to his lap to fidget with his pencil.

“Oh, um, I’m not that smart. I just… have a lot of free time.” Soren said quietly.

“Really? I think you’re super smart! It’s pretty amazing, actually. Numbers and letters jumble together in my head, so I don’t think I’d ever be able to do complicated stuff like this,” Ike said while he tried to look at Soren, his face curtained by his loose dark green hair, “You said you have a lot of free time. What do you do when you’re not free?”

“I like to read novels and books about old legends, though some people don’t find them very interesting.” Soren said while he played with the pencil in his hands again.

“Then I must not be some people because I think legends and old stories are cool,” Ike said, “Do you think you could tell me about some of them sometime?”

Soren felt the small smile growing on his face and covered his mouth with the too-long sleeve of his hoodie. He wasn’t sure when the last time someone showed interest in his own hobbies, so he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. He only nodded and looked into Ike’s eyes with his own large red ones.

“I’d like that,” Soren said with a grin on his face, and Ike was sure he felt his heart skip a beat, “It seems we’re out of time now, but maybe next time?” The clock on the wall showed five o’clock and other people would be using the space soon.

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

The two packed up their papers and pens, and walked out of the school together. Now that Soren was standing next to him, he didn’t realize how tall Ike actually was. He stood at a good half-head taller than Soren and his shoulders were wide and arms strong. Soren would’ve guessed he gave great hugs. They opened the doors to the platform in front of the school, empty of students now that the day was almost over. The early October wind began to take its roots in the weather and tossed Soren's hair around slightly. He struggled to keep it out of his face.

“Thanks for the help today, I can finally understand some of the stuff I’m learning in class.” Ike said with gratitude.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m happy I could help.” Soren said while he tried to put a strand of hair behind his ear from a particularly hearty gust. There was a second of silence before Ike spoke up.

“Do you want a ride? I’ve been assuming you walk home, and I thought I’d ask.”

“Oh no it’s okay, I don’t want to trouble you. I live on the edge of town, so it’s a bit out of the way.”

“The edge of town?? That’s more of a reason to give you a ride. C’mon, I promise I don’t mind.” Ike said sincerely. Soren chewed the inside of his lip in thought.

“Okay, thank you. I appreciate it.”

The two walked across the way to the mostly empty parking lot to a silver Honda CR-V with a few stickers placed haphazardly on the bumper. Ike opened the back seat and tossed his bag in and offered to put Soren’s in too, but he said he would rather hold onto it in the front. Soren told Ike the road he lived on and Ike typed it into the GPS on his cellphone before pressing it onto a holder.

Once the two were both buckled in, Ike started up the engine and drove out of the parking lot. Ike’s car wasn’t as messy as Soren thought it was going to be. There were a few empty bottles of Gatorade rolling around on the floor along with a paper bag with empty McDonald’s containers falling out. There was a sun-bleached photo of what Soren assumed was his family on the dashboard. A beautiful woman with the same hair shade of blue as Ike’s held a younger Ike in her lap, and there was a man with similar features to Ike who held a little girl who was grabbing at his nose. The four of them were sitting on a picnic blanket surrounded by fields of diversely colored flowers with genuine happy expressions on their faces.

“Is that your family?” Soren asked and pointed to the picture as Ike rolled to a stop at a red light and glanced at the image.

“Yep, that’s my mom, dad, and little sister. I think that was taken maybe nine years now? We were out in Gallia for a week during the summer because we have some family up there. It’s a lovely place.” Ike said fondly as he turned onto a road.

“I’ll bet, those flowers look stunning. I don’t think I’ve seen any quite like it.” 

“You definitely have to see them one day. There’s something magical about looking over hills and hills of flowers for as far as the eye can see,” Ike slowed down at a stop sign before proceeding, “What about your family? What’re they like?” he asked. Soren physically tensed up a little in Ike’s peripheral vision. He swallowed before speaking.

“My mother isn’t alive anymore. She died when she gave birth to me and my father isn’t usually home. He works at some corporation so he’s overseas often. It’s usually just me at home.” Soren said softly, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Ike only nodded and cursed mentally at ruining the cheery mood. They drove the rest of the way to Soren’s house in silence and drops of rain began to pepper the windshield. Ike stopped the car in front of the ivy strewn house, the rain coming down heavy on the roof of the vehicle.

“It’s a good thing I got you to say yes to my offer. You would’ve been soaked,” Ike said while he scanned the darkening outside, “I might just have to drive you home from now on.” he looked back to Soren and saw a light tinge of pink across his face.

“I… You don’t have to.” Soren said timidly.

“But would you let me if I _wanted_ to?”

“Only if it’s not a bother to you, then yes, I’ll accept it.” Soren said after a moment.

“Perfect! It’s settled then. I’ll give you a drive home after tutoring.” Ike finalized proudly.

“I… Thank you, Ike.” Soren looked up at Ike with his big cherry eyes and Ike felt his heart beat quicker in his chest.

“Don’t mention it. Do you want to exchange phone numbers in case I can’t make it to tutoring for whatever reason?” Ike took his phone down from the mount on the dashboard and opened a new contact. Soren only nodded and read his number allowed, and he received a message that said: “this is Ike :^)”.

“Cool, well I’ll see you next week?” Ike asked while he mounted the phone back onto the plastic stuck to the car.

“Mhm, thank you again. I really appreciate it.” Soren said with gratitude.

“Don’t mention it. Have a good evening, Soren.”

“You too, Ike.” Soren pulled the hood over his head, opened the door, and rushed out so he wouldn’t get completely soaked before getting inside. Ike watched Soren unlock the door and get into the house before he put his head on the wheel and exhaled.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be so cute.” Ike murmured to himself.


	2. Dinner and Daisies (October)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soren meets the fam

**October**

For the next few weeks, Ike and Soren had been getting to know each other more and more through the downtime when Ike had no questions on math and on their drive to Soren’s house after their biweekly sessions. Soren even went to one of Ike’s games against the top school in Daein to silently cheer him on. It was a close game, but Ike and his team still remained undefeated. The weather became chillier and the trees were bursting with bright color, which prompted Soren to fish around in his closet for a warmer jacket and scarf for his frail form. His time spent with Ike had all been positive, but it wasn’t until one day when they were in the library Ike had sounded upset.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you eat today? You’re very pale.” Ike asked hesitantly, and corrected the slant of his glasses. Soren got that a lot. He was much paler than most people his age, but he knew Ike was genuinely wondering based on the expression on his face. He looked up from his book to look at Ike and shook his head.

“I don’t eat all of my meals sometimes. My father only stocks the fridge when he comes home every couple months or so, so I can’t eat every day. Though this job lets me eat more often now.” Soren said calmly. There was a silence as Ike was thinking with his brows furrowed slightly.

“What’re you doing after this? Tutoring me, I mean.” Ike asked while he looked at Soren in the eyes. 

He thought for a second before saying, “Nothing really. Why?”

“Come over to my house and have dinner with me and my family. My mom is making fish and rice.” Ike urged, but Soren gave him an uncertain look.

“Ike, I’m really okay. I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to feed me.”

“I don’t feel obligated, I care about you and your health because you need to eat,” Ike said while he continued to look into Soren’s eyes, “Plus, you need to be nourished if you want your brain to grow, right?”

“Right…”

“Then you should come over!” Ike exclaimed, and gave Soren a begging puppy-dog look. Soren sighed and gave in to his request.

“Okay, fine. Thank you, Ike.”

“Mhm don’t mention it.” Ike said with a smile. He took out his phone to text Mist that he was going to bring Soren to dinner.

**[Me]:** hey Mist, im bringing Soren home for dinner. can u tell mom pls?

  
  


**[Mist🐣]:** Okay!! You’ve been talking about him a lot recently so I was wondering when you would invite him over.

**[Me]:** yeah. hes a good friend

**[Mist🐣]:** Mhmmm 

**[Mist🐣]:** Suuure 

**[Mist🐣]:** “Friend”

**[Me]:** Mist u better not say anything at dinner tonight or so help me i wont help you in Mario anymore

**[Mist🐣]:** 😱 Nooooo okay my lips are sealed.

Ike turned off his phone and slid it back into his pocket. Mist was a smart girl and she was able to quickly figure out that her big brother had a growing soft spot in his heart for his friend. It wasn’t because of the silly smiles that would stretch across Ike’s face when he would receive a message from Soren or the amount he talked about him that gave it away, but the _way_ he talked about him. Ike would talk about Soren in deep respect and understanding, always with a tone of something else in his voice. 

Five o’clock came around quickly, and the two got into Ike’s car, chatting about their classes or what story Soren was reading about recently. The ride started out very vocal from both Ike and Soren, but the longer they were in the car, Ike noticed Soren playing with the strings of his hoodie; something Ike had begun to notice was something he did when he was nervous.

“Are you okay? You’re fidgeting more than usual,” Ike asked, glancing over at Soren, “Is it because you’re worried about meeting my family?”

Soren wasn’t sure how it happened, but after only a handful of weeks, Ike had been able to read him like an open book. This was surprising to Soren because people usually had a hard time trying to understand what he was feeling. His face was usually deadpan or serious, which led to people assuming he despised them for whatever reason. It was true sometimes, but not all the time. It was nice for once to have someone care about him enough to be able to learn and read his language.

“Just a little. What if they don’t like me?”

“They won’t dislike you, Soren. And they’re not scary at all, I promise.” Ike moved a hand from the wheel and placed it on Soren’s tense shoulder. His hand was warm over the fabric of Soren’s hoodie and his heart started thumping quickly in his chest. The two rarely had any physical contact, but the feeling of Ike’s comforting gesture started to make Soren realize how touch starved he was and how he wished to be embraced by those strong arms.

He only nodded and before they knew it, Ike pulled into the driveway of his house. The building was a cream color with subtle blue trim on the windows and above the doors. A red and yellow leafed tree stood proud in the front yard, and Soren thought it would look beautiful in the warmer seasons when it grew it’s flowers back. Ike led the way with Soren behind him to an oak door next to a small herb garden that sat against the house. He opened the door and yelled “I’m home” to no one in particular.

“Welcome home, Honey!” a woman’s voice (most likely Ike’s mom) called from down the hallway. Ike slipped off his shoes and so did Soren before they went down the hall to the kitchen where Elena was standing over a hot pan with a wooden spoon in hand. The second they walked into the room, the smell of warm spices hit their senses in a pleasant way that wasn’t too much. It wasn’t a sensation that Soren was used to, but it helped him breath and relax in this new environment.

“Hi mom, this is my friend Soren.” Ike said while gesturing to the shorter boy. Elena smiled at him with eyes that looked so similar to Ike’s. Her hair was tied in a loose pony-tail across her shoulder and was longer compared to the picture in Ike’s car, but she still had the same smile like the one taken on that day. Her face has aged, but she still looked quite young. She went to put her spoon down and walked over to give Soren a hug. Once he was embraced kindly by Ike’s mom, Soren wasn’t sure what to do, not having been hugged in a long time so he awkwardly put his hands on her back. She let go of him, but her motherly smile still remained on her face.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Soren. I’ve heard all about you from Ike.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Radiare.” Soren said politely and turned up the corners of his mouth.

“Oh please, Elena is just fine,” she turned to Ike, “Ike darling, can you please tell Mist dinner will be done soon? You can give Soren a tour of the house too.” She suggested before turning back to the stove and stirred the contents of the pan.

“C’mon, Soren, I’ll show you around.” Ike gestured for him to follow and they walked through the kitchen and into a neatly furnished living room. There were two large blue couches that sat in front of a television, and on the other side of the room was a fireplace with two tall-back chairs facing it. Soren thought that would be a good place to curl up and read a book. A coffee table sat between the television and couches. There was a Nintendo Switch that sat in the TV cabinet next to an Xbox and various movies on DVD. Family photos were hung on the walls along with some paintings Ike and Mist did from when they were kids.

Once they were out of earshot, Ike turned to Soren with a goofy smile on his face.

“See? My mom isn’t scary. She likes you, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Ike reassured and Soren nodded.

“Mhm, that does make me feel better. Thank you.”

Soren followed Ike up a flight of stairs from the living room into a spacious hallway. They walked down it and Ike poked his head into one of the rooms, to which Soren assumed was Mist’s room.

“Hey, Mist, dinner's almost done.” Ike reported to his sister. Soren looked into the room and saw Mist sitting on her bed cross-legged with a medical book in her lap. Her wispy bangs were pinned up with clips and her light brown hair was cut about her shoulders, which was different from the pictures Soren had seen. Her room was made up of bright pastel colors and warm earthy tones that reminded Soren of the spring time. A hamster cage sat on a table next to her desk, and a tall dresser stood on the far end of the room. 

“Mmm okay thanks, Ike,” She raised her head up from the thick book to notice Soren and her face lit up, “Ohhh you must be Soren! I’m Mist. Ike’s talked a _lot_ about you.” She said with a bright smile, but something about it seemed sort of… Smug? Soren wasn’t quite sure.

“ _Bye_ Mist, come down soon.” Ike said quickly and walked away from her room.

“Do you want to see my room?” Ike asked Soren with a side smile. He nodded and they went down a few rooms before making it to Ike’s room. He opened it and stepped in to turn on the light. It seemed like a standard room with a half-made bed against the wall and a desk with a silver laptop on it. Clothes that missed the hamper were strewn across the floor and a large bean bag was plopped in the middle of the room, not looking like it had a usual spot to be. What Soren _was_ surprised about was the acoustic guitar that was propped against the closet next to Ike’s bed.

“I didn’t know you play.” Soren mentioned with curiosity after the two were in the room. Ike looked bashful and put his hand to his neck.

“It’s more of an off hobby thing. Like I’ll pick it up sometimes and try to play something I’ve heard before, but I wouldn’t say I really play.” Ike said as he sat down on his bed and picked up the instrument by the neck. He strummed a few cords of a song before putting it back against the door. Soren would be lying if he said Ike’s playing wasn’t good. He wasn’t a pro by any means, but there was something vulnerable about having Ike playing the guitar for him. Maybe it was because he never spoke about it, but it only made Soren want to hear more.

“Maybe you could play a song for me sometime.” Soren suggested with a bit of shyness in his voice.

“Oh yeah? What would you want to hear? Keep in mind my musical skills are limited.”

“Hmm,” Soren tapped his chin in thought, “Surprise me.” He finally said.

“Ike! Soren! Come down already!” Mist yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

The two boys went back downstairs and to the dining room that was an offshoot of the living room. Soren was seated next to both Ike and Mist, with Elena sitting across from Mist. Ike had mentioned that his dad worked late so he most likely wasn’t going to make it to dinner, but before everyone was served, the sound of a door opening and the scuff of boots made their way into the home. Ike’s father walked into a room with an aged but kind smile on his face. He gave Elena a kiss before assisting her with the plates. When he got closer to the table, he noticed the new face in between his children.

“And you must be Soren! It’s nice to meet you. Feel free to call me Greil.” Greil said with a hearty voice. They began to eat after everyone was seated, and Soren wasn’t sure when the last time he truly enjoyed eating. Every bite of the fish and greens exploded with flavor across his tongue and mouth, chewing slowly to savor the deep taste. He could tell that this was made with love because of the effort and care that went into it. Soren felt like he could cry. He kept eating and only slowed when he was addressed by Greil.

“So Soren, Ike’s told me you’re fond of reading. What kind of books pique your interest?” he asked after putting his wine glass back onto the table.

“I’m fond of anything, really. Though I do like reading about folklore and legends.” Soren replied somewhat practiced, like he was anticipating the question.

“Oh? We might have a few of those somewhere that we can give to you. You know, when Ike was a child he would play hero and swing sticks around pretending they were swords. Ike what was the name of that one long stick? Ragu?”

Mist snickered and Ike had his hand over his eyes in both embarrassment and annoyance, a pink blush creeping onto his ears.

“It was Ragnell, dad.” Ike muttered, his fingers still shielding his face.

“That’s it! You used to love that thing. You brought it into your kindergarten all the time.” Greil laughed wholeheartedly.

Soren chuckled and Ike shoved at his shoulder lightly. It was new, but Soren liked sitting around a table with lovely people while enjoying a homemade meal. It certainly beat eating frozen pizza alone in a dark house. They all continued the friendly chatter, Soren learning more about Ike and Ike learning more about Soren and his life.

“Ike, your math grades have been improving. Soren seems to be a good fit for you.” Greil said with praise in his voice. Soren stared bashfully at the table at the phrasing of his words. 

“Yeah, even Ms. Leanne said I was improving at an impressive rate. Tibarn said if I keep these grades up, I’ll still be able to stay on the team. It’s all thanks to Soren.” Ike said, obviously very pleased with himself and the boy next to him. Soren felt his face heat up again from the positive attention he was getting from Ike and his family. It made him feel like he was valued and wanted instead of simply being cast aside as dead weight. All he could do was say “thank you” and keep eating the delicious meal.

\---

After dinner, Soren thanked Ike’s family for being so hospitable. It seemed that Ike mentioned to his mom at some point that Soren doesn’t have a reliable source of food, so they gave him the leftovers from dinner and told him he’s always welcome over. Elena and Greil thanked him again for being able to help Ike in his academics, to which Soren said they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if not for Ike’s persistence in trying to learn. 

Ike and Soren hopped into the Honda and began their way back to Soren’s house. It was night by that time and the air was chilly with autumn leaves dropping from trees and slowly falling to earth. Soren didn’t mind the cold very much, because he enjoyed wrapping himself up in blankets with a good book when he was home. 

“So how’d you like my parents? Not too scary, right?” Ike asked when he started ascending a hill. Soren nodded, but then realized Ike probably couldn’t see him because it was dark as well as driving.

“They were very welcoming, to say the least. It was nice. I didn’t know that you’ve had problems with other tutors before.” Soren said instead.

“I’m happy to hear that. Yeah, to be honest, I wasn’t so psyched when I had to drop a couple days of practice to get math tutoring, but I’m having a lot of fun with it with you.” Soren felt the heat in his face almost comically fast. Something about that made his heart light up in delight, and he was suddenly glad Ike couldn’t see him.

“I like spending time with you too, Ike. People have teased me for being… weird--”

“Are you talking about the people that bullied you back when we were first years? Soren, you’re amazing, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Ike interrupted, his voice taking on a fierceness to it. Soren looked at Ike in shock, stunned that he remembered that at all. Soren could’ve sworn Ike would’ve forgotten that small detail in his life full of accomplishments, but a part of him was happy he remembered that.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Soren mumbled meekly.

Neither of them said anything after that, just sitting in the unnamed tension that hung in the air around them. They eventually rolled up to the dark house and Soren reluctantly undid his seat belt. He turned to Ike, his handsome face slightly visible from the street lamps that illuminated the pavement with a dark yellow light. Even in low light, Ike’s eyes shone like the deep blue of an ocean that drew Soren in every time he stared into them. He wanted so badly to close the space between them, but he shook away the urge before it overcame him.

“Thank you again for this tonight. Please tell your mother that this was the best dinner I’ve had in ages. Good night, Ike, I’ll see you later.” Soren said instead. He opened the car door and stepped out. He unlocked the door to his house and waved to Ike once more before disappearing inside.

\---

Once the door was closed behind Soren, he leaned up against the wood and slid down to the floor. His heart was beating so fast he really hoped Ike wasn’t able to hear the thump in his chest. Micaiah trotted down the stairs to see what Soren was doing on the ground, and then to inspect the plastic Tupperware that contained food. Soren scooped the fluffy cat into his arms and hugged her close.

“Oh, Micaiah, what am I going to do?”


	3. Lillies and Love (December)

**December**

It was 10 AM on a Sunday, and Soren was having trouble mixing together the ingredients to a cake recipe he found in a cookbook he borrowed from the library. It was for some kind of nut cake and he thought it looked good based on the images. It had white whipped frosting with chopped nuts and something called a 'caramel cage,' but Soren decided to leave that part out because it looked more like a sculpture than food. Ike had invited Soren to stay at his house during the break and was able to convince him to agree after days of asking him. The Radiare family was throwing their annual holiday party. Soren had told Ike that he wanted to make something to bring in thanks for having him, and even though Ike said that wasn't necessary, Soren wouldn't have it and decided to do it anyway. Though that was before he knew how _hard_ it was to bake. 

There was flour all over the counter and the window was cracked to let out a bit of smoke from the previous failure he had taken out of the oven. Soren dumped the chard black disk into the trash bin and wiped his forehead with the side of his arm. He was glad he put his hair up because it would've been covered in white by that point. Even after the numerous problems Soren ran into, he stayed determined to make it work. 

After he opened a new bag of flour and meticulously measured out the ingredients, he was slowly but surely figuring this whole 'baking thing' out. He mixed the dry and wet ingredients only until they were combined, which was something Soren did the opposite of before and mixed it until the mixture was flat and gluey. He remembered to butter the cake tin this time and poured the chunky nut batter into the round mold and scraped down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Soren checked the temperature of the oven for the umpteenth time before putting in what could possibly ruin his entire relationship with Ike and his family if he messed this up. Okay, it wasn't that dire but that's what Soren felt like at the time. He slid the tin into the oven and set two timers in case one of them didn't work properly. With an exasperated sigh, Soren pulled up a chair in front of the oven to watch his pride bake behind the heat resistant glass.

It was as if he was being watched by the Goddess above because Soren received a text message from Ike.

**[Ike Radiare 🏈]:** hows ur cooking going? u really dont have to make anything if u dont wanna

**[Me]:** Too late for that now.

Soren debated whether or not to send an image of the cake in the oven, but he instead sent a selfie with his head propped up against his leg.

**[Ike Radiare 🏈]:** can i see or r u gnna keep it a soup rice?

**[Me]:** A what?

**[Ike Radiare 🏈]:** soup rice, yanno like surprise?

**[Me]:** Oh lol yeah it’s a “soup-rice,” I just hope it will come out well…

 **[Me]:** My other attempts were failures.

**[Ike Radiare 🏈]:** im sure whatevr it is it will come out great! :^)

**[Me]:** Thanks 😊

**[Ike Radiare 🏈]:** oh and is 4 still a good time to pick u up?

 **[Ike Radiare 🏈]:** other people will probably be coming around then

**[Me]:** Yep that sounds good, I’ll see you then!

Soren clicked his phone off and resumed watching intently at the pale cake in the oven.

November passed quickly and now it was late into the cold December when schools around the country were on holiday break so students could spend time with family and friends. Ike had invited Soren to stay at his house during the lengthy break and was able to convince him to agree after days of asking him. It’s been a little over a month since the first time Soren went to Ike’s house to meet his family, and he was there a couple more times since then, but now there was going to be a handful of new people to meet. Though he was nervous, Soren was excited to spend a holiday with someone he cared about. Earlier in the day, he received a text message from his father saying that he wouldn’t be home so as not to expect anything. Not that he would anyway.

Micaiah hopped onto the counter with a meow in hope of getting Soren’s attention. Now that there was snow on the ground, the black and white tabby would spend more time inside and keep Soren company. He picked her up from the countertop and put her on his lap, where she started to pur in happiness.

Before he knew it, the timer for his cake went off and spooked Micaiah off of his lap, which left white paw marks on his stone-washed jeans. He let the cake cool on a rack near the window and whipped up the frosting before spreading it across the spongy surface. Soren pressed some chopped nuts onto the sides of the frosting, and he stepped back to look proudly at his work. He placed a plastic cover over the top and went upstairs to change out of his dusted white clothes.

\---

The sound of a car pulling up in front of the house and the ding of a cell phone notification prompted Soren to grab his bag of clean clothing and the cake carrier before going out to greet Ike. He was fumbling with the door and suddenly felt the terror of possibly dropping his hard work into the snow. Warm hands were at Soren’s side in an instant to help balance the container in his arms, and he looked up into Ike’s shining eyes.

“Whoa, that was a close one,” Ike exhaled, his breath hanging in the cold winter air, “You alright?” Soren nodded thankfully.

“Yeah, thank you, Ike. I probably would’ve died if I ended up dropping this.” He said jokingly. 

“We couldn’t have that now could we?”

They got into the car, with the cake safely put in Soren’s lap on the way over to Ike’s home. Like usual, the two had casual conversation and banter between each other without running out of topics to talk about. Though something unfamiliar had been growing in the atmosphere around them, neither of them were able to figure it out. 

They stepped out of the car and the crunch of snow beneath Soren’s boots went pleasantly to his ears. Ike’s side of town looked beautiful in the winter months, with the neatly kept houses in the neighborhood and the simple but not distasteful holiday decorations on their lawns. The snow from last night dusted the trees and ground in a soft coat of elegant white.

They walked into the house and were met with the scent of freshly baked cookies and the light sound of music in the background. The two made their way into the kitchen where Greil and Elena were preparing various appetizers and beverages for the guests to come.

“Helloooooo!” Boyd’s upbeat voice was heard from the entrance of the house. He walked into the kitchen with two boys, one who was younger, around fourteen or fifteen and the other looked around twenty or so. They all had some shade of green hair, which prompted Soren to assume they were related. When Boyd took notice of Soren, he grinned and rushed over to introduce himself.

“Hey! You must be Soren. Thanks for helping this guy out, ‘cause without you we wouldn’t be a team!” Boyd wrapped his arm over Ike’s shoulders in a brotherly manner and ruffled his hair. “Oh, I’m Boyd, by the way.”

“It’s nice to meet you--”

“Boyd!” Mist came barreling into the room and tackled the boy, but only managed to slightly jostle him due to her weight.

"Oof hi, Mist." Boyd wrapped his arms around her into a hug, and she whispered something into his ear as if Ike and Soren weren’t standing right there in front of them. His eyes widened and his mouth stretched into a more sly grin than the one he flashed Soren. He looked at Ike and gave him a thumbs-up, which left Soren confused. Maybe it was an inside joke.

\---

During the party, Soren formally met the three Verde brothers and later a woman and man who were close friends with Greil and Elena made an appearance. The woman, Soren learned was named Titania, used to be Ike and Mist’s elementary school teacher, and remained friends with their family since. She was kind and seemed like another mother to Ike and Mist, or maybe even a cool aunt. The man who came with Titania was her husband Rhys who was a professor at the university Mist was thinking about attending after she graduated high school. He was more reserved much like Soren, but he greeted everyone with a genuine smile and the crinkle of his eyes.

The high schoolers played a variety of games on the television, as well as board games that were pulled from a shelf in the living room. The house was filled with laughter and happiness, which whisked away any worries that could’ve been present.

“It’s snowing!” Rolf jumped up excitedly, and sure enough a gentle white was drifting to the ground, “Can we all go play?” he looked to his brothers with stars in his eyes. Boyd tapped his chin in thought and with a clear smile on his face.

“I’ll race you!” and Boyd bolted up from his spot on the floor and dashed towards the door with his little brother chasing after him. The rest of the group leisurely joined them outside, with the snow slowly beginning to build upon the cold ground. Boyd and Rolf were taking cover behind the bushes on the lawn and slung snowballs at each other while Mist and Oscar were focusing on rolling the base of a snowman. 

Soren had bundled himself with his tall collared coat and mittens on his hands that were shoved deep into his pockets. Ike was standing next to him in a blue winter jacket with a beanie on his head and a relaxed smile on his face. He nudged Soren’s arm with his.

“Are you having fun?” Ike asked with a white cloud forming in front of him when he spoke. Soren nodded and looked up at Ike, and in that moment, he thought Soren was the most beautiful person in the world. Well, Ike always thought he was beautiful, but something about the snowflakes that speckled along his long eyelashes and the small but pure smile on his lips while surrounded by a world of white made his heart pound with indescribable joy.

He was in love.

“I-I’m glad,” Ike stuttered before clearing his throat, “Hey, Sor--” Ike’s face was met with a loosely packed snowball which followed him tumbling backwards into a snowbank. 

“Gahaha! Oh man, you should’ve seen your face!” Boyd’s stomach-hurting laughter was heard from across the driveway. Ike got up from the snow and wiped away the water that clung to his face. He leaned down and packed a handful of snow before hucking it at Boyd who was still bent over with mirth. The snowball hit him straight on the forehead and before they knew it, they were in an all-out war with Rolf at Boyd’s side.

“Soren, come help! Their forces are too strong.” Ike smiled up at Soren from where he was crouched behind a bush as snowballs streaked across the air. Soren pulled his collar up and got down next to Ike, beginning to make more ammunition from the snow.

“Ohoho, the hero and the... tactician team up against the mighty warrior and sniper, but we will not be defe--” Soren tossed a snowball particularly high, and it landed on top of Boyd's head. Ike high fived Soren and they continued lobbing snow at their opponents.

\---

As the day slowly turned to evening, the group outside returned to the house. Ike and Boyd were soaked from head to toe in water and were especially happy to be enveloped in the warmth of the home. The teens wound down after eating a plethora of sweets (which included Soren’s cake which received praise from everyone who tried it) and gathered in the living room to watch a movie. Titania and Rhys had to head back home because they had a puppy that they needed to tend to, and the Verde brothers decided to leave after the movie because their own family was expecting them back.

After the guests left, Ike and Soren went upstairs to prepare for bed. In Ike’s room, there was a mattress that was laid beside the bed, prepared with a thick blanket and a couple of pillows. They took turns taking a shower and when Soren came back, Ike was sitting on his bed tuning the strings of his guitar.

“Hey, Soren. Remember your first time here and you asked me to play you a song sometime?” Ike asked and strummed the instrument. Soren nodded and moved to the bed beside Ike. His green hair was still damp and the mark on his forehead was fully visible now that the makeup was scrubbed off. He wore an oversized t-shirt and flannel pants over his legs. “Because I’ve, uh, been practicing if you wanted to hear it.” 

“I’d love to.” Soren said with a sleepy look on his face and the way his shoulders were relaxed. Ike swallowed and began to play. He strummed the strings and the steady sound of the instrument reverberated throughout the wooden body. The song started out slow, the gentle rhythm soothing to Soren’s ears and then gradually picked up into a more upbeat tune. Focus was apparent in Ike’s eyes by the way they flicked from his fingering at the bridge of the guitar and the slight furrow of his brow. Some notes were out of tune or flat, but the song itself was rather beautiful, and Ike’s effort at trying to learn the song was noticeable in the melody. The song ended on a light tone and Ike smiled, feeling rather proud of himself.

“Well? What did you think?” He looked at Soren, only for his face to look distant and blank, Ike unable to read it. “Sore--” 

Ike’s words were dead on his tongue the millisecond Soren’s lips pressed against his. His eyes were blown wide in shock at the boy in front of him. He leaned into the kiss, but before it went anywhere Soren pulled away shyly and averted his eyes from Ike’s.

“It was… it was good.” Soren whispered, his face flushed a dusty pink color. His hands were in his lap and fidgeting slightly. He was so nervous that he made a huge mistake, that Ike didn’t actually have romantic feelings for him after all. Soren gambled his entire relationship without even thinking about the consequences, and now Ike was just staring at him, probably thinking about how he didn’t like it or was repulsed by the action. _Oh Goddess, what have I done? What should I--_

“Can I kiss you again?” Ike asked, taking Soren out of his anxious thoughts. With surprise in his eyes, he nodded and Ike leaned down to take his lips in his own. Now fully aware of the situation Ike was able to notice the softness and tenderness of Soren’s lips, something he was only able to imagine in his dreams but couldn't compare to the real thing before him. He placed the guitar on the floor and slowly wrapped one arm around Soren’s slender waist, and the other into his dark green hair. 

It was obvious that Soren wasn’t experienced in kissing, so Ike took the initiative and tilted his head to deepen the connection between them. His tongue made its way into Soren’s hot mouth and slid the flesh together while breathing against each other. A small noise escaped the smaller boy’s throat which only spurred Ike on, and he gently pushed Soren back flat against the bed until his head hit the pillow and Ike hovering over him.

“How long?” Soren asked, with his voice still breathless and lips still moist from kissing. Ike kissed his cheek and then the exposed birthmark on his forehead in affection.

“There was something about you that drew me to you, but I didn’t know what it was until I started to get to know you. You’re an amazing person and I noticed that I got lonely when you weren’t with me. I realized that I… That I love you, Soren.” Ike seemed embarrassed while confessing his feelings for Soren, but the honesty shown in his ocean eyes as they peered into crimson ones.

“I love you too, Ike. I never thought I’d be able to be seen by you, but I’m happy that you needed tutoring or maybe none of this would’ve happened.” Soren said with a bit of sadness to it. Ike leaned down to chastely kiss Soren’s soft lips.

“But we’re here together now, aren’t we? There’s nothing to be sad about.” He took one of Soren’s small hands in his own and brought it up to kiss his knuckles one by one. 

Soren's heart was beating so fast, he couldn't believe any of this was real. The boy of his dreams was kissing him and had mutual feelings towards him. The two were alone in Ike’s room without a care in the world, where nothing could hurt them. 

Soren removed his hand from Ike's grasp and pulled his head down again for a kiss; this one less chaste than the one before. Soren was inexperienced but he was a quick learner. He opened his mouth slightly and prodded at Ike's lips with the tip of his tongue, which prompted the larger man to deepen his kiss. 

Soren made a small moan when Ike's hand started snaking up his shirt to feel the smooth skin of his stomach and chest. Every touch left fire in its wake, which only made Soren wanting more.

"I-Ike." Soren moaned against his mouth. There was a haze in Ike's eyes that Soren hadn't seen before.

"Do you want to keep going?" Ike asked, his face still close to Soren's and their heady breath mixing together. The green-haired boy nodded and smiled blissfully at Ike before he leaned down and captured his lips once more.

The kiss resumed hot and needy as Ike swirled his tongue with Soren's and moved his lips against his. Another moan slipped out when Ike's hand brushed against one of his pert nipples. 

_Oh, that’s cute._

He noticed the positive feedback and brought up both of his hands to play with the pink nubs. He gently pinched them and rolled them around in his fingers which only made Soren moan louder in pleasure.

"Shhh, we have to be quiet." Ike's husky voice whispered into his ear. Soren nodded in embarrassment and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. Ike continued touching his chest and moved one of his hands down to Soren's growing erection which caused him to yelp into Ike’s mouth in surprise. He continued to palm at his crotch, and with each touch Soren would pant against his open mouth in want. His face was red and lust was apparent in his half-lidded eyes as Ike continued to pleasure him in a way that was completely new to him. The feeling of someone else touching him so sweetly as if he was made of porcelain. Ike disconnected his lips from Soren’s, leaving a trail of saliva between them before it snaps. 

Warm fingers hooked around the waistband of Soren’s trousers and blue eyes searched red ones for any sort of discomfort that may be there. There was nothing but a fire in those piercing eyes. Ike pulled the fabric down along with his underwear, the front of them soaked in pre-cum and Soren shyly covered his eyes. 

There was a shift in the mattress and the sound of opening a wooden drawer as Ike went to retrieve a couple of utilities from his nightstand. Soren moved his hands to see Ike holding a bottle of lubricant and a condom. Safety first. Before continuing, Ike grabbed at the top of his t-shirt and pulled it off over his head in one swift motion which only left his muscles and chest to be seen. 

Soren flushed a bright pink at the sight of Ike’s muscular form and him uncapping the top of the lube and pouring a generous amount into his open hand. The bed moved again as Ike leaned back over Soren’s lewd body. His shirt was tugged up to reveal his stomach and chest, his legs spread apart waiting to be touched deep inside of him. 

“Tell me if anything hurts, okay?” Ike whispered and planted another sweet kiss to Soren’s forehead. Soren nodded and brought his attention back to the hand that was about to touch him in a place no one had graced before.

Slowly Ike’s lubed hand dipped down in between Soren’s thighs to the tight pucker that lay there and began to gently finger it with care. He started with circling the rim with the flat of his index finger and saw Soren pinch his eyes shut in anticipation. The last thing Ike would want was to hurt Soren. 

He connected their lips again and Soren’s own hands went to the bulge in Ike’s loose-fitting sweatpants which caused him to groan and kiss him harder against the bed. Ike ever so slowly pushed his finger past the tight ring of muscle and felt around the warm, soft skin inside of Soren. When Soren seemed to not mind the small movements of Ike’s finger, Ike thrust the digit in and out of the wet hole.

The younger boy made a noise between a gasp and a moan which led Ike to harden instantly. Soren, like any other high school boy, has masturbated before but it couldn’t compare to the feeling of Ike’s thick finger going in and out inside of him, blazing the trail for what was to come. 

“Y-you can put in another one.” Soren whispered, his face and collar bone still dusted in a pretty pink color. Ike nodded, and the second finger made it past the tight ring of muscle and Ike tried to scissor him open, feeling around the wet cavity along the smooth walls.

“Ah!” Soren gasped and his hips stuttered against Ike’s fingers when he brushed them against the spot that made him shake. He started pressing around that spot in a teasing manner, watching Soren squirm and moan into his hand. Ike was quickly able to add a third finger and thrust them all the way into Soren’s hole while it clenched around them in desperation. Desperate for more. Desperate for _Ike._ “Ike, th-that’s enough,” he was loose enough now that three fingers could move around with ease. Ike removed his fingers from Soren’s stretched hole and watched as he clenched not once, but twice around nothing which could quite possibly be one of the hottest things Ike had ever seen.

Another kiss was planted to Soren’s lips before Ike leaned back to grab the wrapped condom and bottle of lube at the bottom of the bed.

Soren brought his shirt above his head and dropped it beside the bed, and came back to see Ike pull down his pants to reveal his thick cock, much larger than Soren was anticipating. Sure, Ike was a big guy, but his size and girth was impressive and suddenly Soren wasn’t sure if it would all fit. Soren had dabbled with toys before but nothing as big as the man in front of him.

With fumbling hands, Ike slipped the condom out of the wrapper and uncoiled it around his length, watching Soren eye at it in anticipation. More lube was rubbed onto Ike’s dick before he leaned back over the wanting boy beneath him. He pressed the head of his cock against the loosened pink ring of muscle.

“Are you ready?” Ike asked once more before proceeding, his eyes full of lust and affection. Soren nodded and pressed his hips upward in a weak attempt to get him inside.

“I-I want you inside of me, Ike.” Soren whined and hid his face in the pillow beside him in embarrassment. Ike leaned down to coax Soren’s face out from the pillow to kiss him deep and full on the lips as he pressed his cock slowly into that tight heat. 

Both of them moaned against each other’s mouths until Ike was fully sheathed inside Soren’s ass, happy he took his time fingering him or else this would’ve been a _much_ more painful process. The feeling of Ike made tiny pinpricks of pain for Soren, his body completely new to the feeling of a real cock in his ass rather than a piece of plastic he would push into himself.

“D-Don’t move just yet.” Soren gasped out and squeezed his eyes shut. Ike grunted and nodded, doing his best to be still for Soren. He moved his hands to feel at the skin of his supple thighs in an attempt to distract himself from the pressure that enveloped his pulsing member.

They waited for a minute until Soren was used to having Ike’s sizable cock stretch and loosen him enough for him to begin to thrust, the bedroom was silent except for the sounds of their labored breathing and the loud thrum of their hearts. Soren wiggled his hips experimentally, the pain dulled away and mostly gone.

“Ike, you can move now.” Soren whispered and caressed Ike’s face gently. 

Ike nodded and pulled out until just the tip remained inside, and he pushed his hips forward back into that delicious heat. Soren gasped at the movement, going from almost empty to completely full in seconds, and each time Ike thrust into him he would let out a suppressed moan so he wouldn’t wake up everyone in the house. The stretch of his hole was absolutely mind numbing. He hadn’t felt so full before in his life, feeling every single part of Ike as he gradually picked up the pace and established a rhythm to the jerk of his body.

A particularly raunchy moan escaped Soren’s throat when Ike’s cock slammed right into his prostate and quickly brought his hands to his mouth if any more noises came out unannounced. Ike grinned and continued to press the head of his dick into that bundle of nerves that drove Soren writhing in ecstasy and savored every little moan and whine that left his pretty mouth. With every pull out of his cock, Ike noticed how Soren’s red hole would still cling to him, trying to keep him deep inside. Nevermind, that was the hottest thing Ike had ever seen and he would definitely remember that for a _long_ time.

“S-Soren, you feel so good around me.” Ike said, his voice husky and full of lust as he continued to thrust his hips into the boy on his bed. Soren looked absolutely blissed out underneath him, with his hair mussed up and the full blush on his face. His eyes were half-lidded and hazy with pleasure from Ike’s powerful thrusts into his puckered hole and gasped every time he filled him to the brim. 

Soren could only make babbling noises as Ike fucked him into the mattress while holding up the back of his knees for leverage. Ike dropped one of Soren’s legs and brought his hand to Soren’s own leaking erection and began to pump it in rhythm with his cock hitting the spot that made him cry out into his hand.

“I-Ike, I’m so-so close, it’s so m-much, so g-good insi- ah!” Soren gasped up at Ike with speckles of tears in his eyelashes. Drool was leaking from the corner of his mouth, his brain on complete shut down except for the feeling of Ike filling all of his senses.

“Y-Yeah, me too. You’re so good, S-Soren. I, hah, love you.” Ike leaned back down in a hot, wet kiss.

With one last snap of Ike’s hips, Soren came with a muffled shout. White filled his vision and everywhere from the tips of his toes and the arch of his back shook intensely from his mindblowing orgasm. Ike came too, thrusting into Soren to finish riding out his own fiery orgasm, still being clenched down on by his hole. 

The two were panting, both incredibly physically and emotionally exhausted from the day they shared together, but had a happy smile on their faces nonetheless. Ike slipped his soft cock out of Soren with the condom filled almost halfway with semen. He tied it off and threw it in the trash beside his bed while Soren took a handful of tissues from the nightstand and wiped the drying cum off of his bare chest.

Ike flopped down beside Soren and brought his face close to Soren’s and kissed him chastely before embracing him in his wide arms. Soren was right, he did give amazing hugs. Smaller arms wrapped around Ike and held him close. The two got under the blankets of Ike’s bed, the mattress on the floor empty and forgotten, and they fell asleep with only each other on their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Safe sex is cool


	4. Birthdays and Bee Balm (April)

**April**

After the bone-chilling winter passed through Crimea like it did every year, green buds started to peek through the cold ground and bloom slowly into flowers that were dotted in fields and the gardens of homes. While Soren didn’t particularly mind the weather change, it was Ike’s favorite time of year because he was able to go out and have football practice with his team, only strengthening the bond between them.

The change of season into April was also the time of Ike’s birth. This year marked Ike’s nineteenth birthday instead of his eighteenth one due to being held back a year in grade school. Soren had never spent a birthday with someone and was completely at a loss as to what to gift Ike. Even when he asked Ike about it directly, all he said was something along the lines of “Just your company is enough for me.” That answer didn’t satisfy Soren, so he was determined to find a gift that would make Ike happy as much as he made Soren happy.

\---

The ear-piercing lunch bell sounded through the school and students began to spill out from their classrooms, making their way in herds down to the cafeteria. Soren learned to wait a bit after the bell so he wouldn’t get swept up in the sea of people pushing and shoving against one another. Today he wasn’t going to go to the lunchroom anyway. He climbed up a flight of stairs to the science wing of the school in search of Mist. She usually ate lunch while studying for her next class. That’s one of the traits that greatly differed between the Radiare siblings -- Ike doesn’t like to mix his activities, such as eating and studying or else neither would get done efficiently.

Soren rarely spent time in the medical half of the science wing, so it took him a couple of glances into empty rooms before he found Mist in an anatomy classroom with a book on the table and a sandwich in her mouth. The walls of the room were decorated in various posters depicting the human body and specific parts of it, be it the entire stomach or the tiny make up of the ear. Plastic mannequins sat along the wall with fake organs and guts falling out of it, someone obviously placing them in wrong. A white refrigerator stood at the far end of the room and Soren had a feeling it didn’t contain anything suitable for human consumption.

Mist was alone in the room, her legs dangling from the stool she sat on. Soren entered the room and cleared his throat so as to not scare her.

“Um hi, Mist.” Mist looked up to Soren’s greeting and swallowed her bite of sandwich.

“Oh hi, Soren! If you’re looking for Ike, he’s probably in the cafeteria.” She said kindly.

“I was actually looking for you. I have a question.” Mist perked up and set her sandwich and book down on the flat of the table.

“Oh okay! What’s up?” She asked, all of her attention given to the boy in front of her.

“Ike’s birthday is in a couple of days but I’m not sure what to get him,” Soren explained, taking a seat on the stool across from Mist, “I was wondering if you have any suggestions.”

Mist’s already pleasant smile grew bigger at the gesture. Out of the couple of people that have actually dated Ike, neither of them had expressed this much consideration towards him, and it left a fondness that sat comfortably on her heart. 

“Of course I can help! Let’s see,” Mist tapped on her chin and looked up at the ceiling in brief thought, “Well, to be honest, Ike doesn’t really talk about any gifts that he wants. I usually get him a video game or some socks because he tends to wear through those quickly, and my parents get him coats or strings to his guitar. Nothing too excessive. Honestly, I think Ike’s just happy that you’re going to be spending time with him, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” 

Mist looked back at Soren and noticed the mildly dejected look on his face. It seemed like that wasn’t exactly the answer he was looking for. “Hmm but maybe you can ask Boyd or Ranulf? They might have an idea.” She said quickly.

Soren mulled the idea over in his head, not really knowing Boyd that much and meeting Ranulf only a couple of times. He didn’t have any better ideas so there was no harm in asking, right? “Okay, thank you Mist. I appreciate the help.” Soren stood up and put his book bag back on his shoulder.

“No problem! I hope you can find what you’re looking for.” Mist smiled at Soren and turned her attention back to her book and sandwich when Soren began to leave the room. He walked through the halls to the lunchroom to get a bite to eat before his next class, wondering how he was going to talk to the two football players.

\---

The next day Soren sat outside on bleachers next to the football field and watched Ike run around on the grass in his red and white gear while tossing the ball to his teammates. Soren loved watching Ike like this. Focused and determined with each of his movements and the look of satisfaction and leftover fire in his eyes after he would win a game.

“Alright, that’s enough for today.” The football coach shouted from beside the field gate. He was a tall man with unruly dark brown hair and two pale scars that intersected on the right side of his face. The interactions that Soren had seen with him and Ike seemed to be that of a cool uncle and his nephew; close to family but giving criticism where it’s due. 

The boys eased up from their stances and gave each other high fives and dapped as they made their way back to the benches where their sports bags were. Ike took off his helmet and shook out his sweaty hair which made Soren feel a bit of heat on his face. Just the sight of him left Soren’s knees weak and his heart beating faster, but that was hardly the time for swooning over his boyfriend. He was on a mission and saw the two people he needed to talk to. Ranulf and Boyd had taken spots beside Ike in friendly conversation. 

_This is my chance,_ Soren thought to himself as he approached Ike on the bench, thinking about how he was going to get Ike away from his friends long enough to talk to them about his birthday.

“Oh hey, Soren! How was studying?” Ike asked and dried the lingering sweat from his forehead with a cloth.

“It was good. Ike--”

“Ike! Can you come here for a minute?” Ike’s coach called from the sidelines against the woven metal gate.

“Sorry, Soren, I’ll be right back.” Ike apologized as he jogged over to his coach. Soren nodded, but this was actually the perfect time to speak with Boyd and Ranulf. He turned to the closer of the two boys.

“Um, Boyd, I have a question for you and Ranulf.” Boyd took the water bottle down from his face and wiped away the water that ran down his chin. Ranulf perked up beside him at the mention of his name almost like a cat.

“Yeah what’s up?” Boyd asked and flashed him a friendly grin.

“I was wondering what you two got Ike for his birthday tomorrow.” Soren glanced over to Ike who was still talking with his coach, both of them still deep in conversation.

Boyd and Ranulf turned to each other with their eyes meeting like they were caught with their pants down.

“Uhh well… about that…,” Boyd cleared his throat, “Every year we get him gag gifts, so they’re more for jokes and not serious at all. They’re more of the, um… how do I say it... unsavory variety, but I guess this year they’ll have uses I guess… But this isn’t really our place to talk about what you two do together! We just think it’s, uh, funny to mess with our good friend because we’ve known each other since childhood and it’s just kinda how our dynamic is I guess,” Boyd wasn’t making eye contact with Soren by that point and was awkwardly looking elsewhere while he spoke the words quickly -- and was he sweating more than when he was running on the field? “A-anyway, why do you ask?”

“I’m not sure what to get him and Mist suggested I ask the two of you, but it seems that might not have been the best idea…” Soren muttered, his own gaze slipping away from Boyd’s face.

“H-hey now, we still might have suggestions!” Boyd spouted frantically. 

“Ike’s more of a sentimental guy, so maybe he would want something you made him.” Ranulf quipped from next to Boyd. 

Soren mulled that idea over in his head and thought that sounded like Ike. Instead of giving into the woes of capitalism, he could just give him something that’s purely Soren.

“That’s a good idea.”

“What’s a good idea?” Ike asked when he got back to the small group.

“Oh, Soren was asking us--”

“--which stretches are best to increase blood flow when he’s sitting. You know, Soren is so studious that he doesn’t have time to get his blood pumping.” Ranulf clasped a hand over Boyd’s mouth and finished his sentence for him.

“Ah yeah, you study a lot so there’s not much time for exercise.” Ike noted to Soren. Soren nodded and mentally thanked Ranulf for not blowing his cover.

After Soren was dropped off at his house, he began to brainstorm ideas.

\---

Hours of thinking went by before Soren set his decision on making Ike a letter that described everything that he and Soren had been through the recent months and how it affected Soren in the best of ways. It sounded cliche and cheesy in his head, but Soren was often praised for his writing ability so he might as well put that to use. He spent the evening drafting the words he wanted to say and inscribed them onto fresh card stock with a pen his cousin gave to him when Soren turned sixteen. 

Before Soren knew it, the sun was rising over the hills on the horizon as he was putting the finishing touches on the decorated paper. Staying up until the moon went down wasn’t something abnormal for Soren, be it from studying or reading and merely forgetting that time existed. He carefully creased his work and slipped it into a white unassuming envelope before putting it into the pocket of his hoodie. Today is the day, and Soren desperately hopes Ike will like his letter. The two have already decided that Soren would be staying the night at Ike’s house, so Soren thought it would be a nice idea to give it to him then.

_Beep beep beep_

The digital alarm clock on Soren’s desk rang as the face changed to 6:00 AM which prompted Soren to change out of his yesterday clothes and shower before heading to school. He smiled to himself hoping Ike would like his gift.

\---

Soren’s day was going as it normally would on any given day, with math in the morning followed by science and social studies. He was at a bench and dissolving caffeine tablets when he heard glass shatter and the sound of water dripping to the floor from the other side of the room.

“Oh no, I’m sorry,” a petite girl with lavender hair mumbled quietly to their teacher. 

“It’s okay, Ilyana, don’t you worry about it,” Mrs. Sigrun said calmly, and she turned to Soren’s direction, “Soren, can you please go down to the storage room and get more beakers? I believe you know where they are.” Soren had already been in two classes with Mrs. Sigrun so she grew to trust him above her other rambunctious students. Soren nodded and left the room.

The hallways were busy during that time of day, piers and teachers alike milling through the corridors for various projects and presentations. The extra bodies didn’t make a difference in the mostly spacious area, but it wasn’t until he rounded the corner at the stairwell he was knocked to the ground by a group of people.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there, shorty.” a girl in heels said snidely while her friends laughed beside her. Soren was often teased for his frail stature, for not being ‘man enough,’ as his father has told him from time to time. Instead of getting upset about such remarks he learned to simply remove himself from the situation, which is exactly what he did there. Soren got up and made long strides away from the stairs without looking back.

Soren was quick to retrieve the beakers and made it back to the classroom without any further problems.

\---

“Hm? What’s this?” Ike slowed to a stop when his eyes caught sight of a small piece of paper in the seam of the stairs. He bent down to pick it up and upon closer inspection, it looked to be an envelope. Ike turned it over and by the looks of it, it didn’t have any name or indicator to who it was the owner. 

_I might as well hold onto this, maybe there will be an announcement about it_. Ike thought to himself as he pocketed the letter and made his way to his last class of the day.

\---

It wasn’t until Ike and Soren were already on the road to Ike’s house when Soren was feeling the familiar feeling of doubt bubble up in his stomach. _What if he thinks it’s boring or last minute? What if he’s expecting something different? What if he does want to date me because of this? What if he…_ Soren’s mind jumped around nervously each second that went by. Throughout Soren’s life, he was constantly being told by his father that he would never be enough, that he was a disappointment to the family, and thus left him neglected and ignored. He didn’t want that to happen with Ike and be tossed into darkness again when he had finally found a light. Ike glanced over and noticed his discomfort.

“Are you feeling okay? You’re chewing your lip.” Ike asked with concern in his voice. Soren nodded beside himself and exhaled into a sigh.

“I’m just worried that you won’t like your gift.”Soren mumbled timidly. 

“I think I will. I like everything you give me.” Ike reassured and brought a hand down to Soren’s and gave it a squeeze. Soren’s heart did a little flip in his chest. In just the four months of Ike and Soren being an official couple had already brought Soren more happiness than ever. It almost felt unreal, like this world was just a dream and he would wake up to a reality where he would be invisible to the ones he cared about most.

\---

Ike and Soren got to Ike’s house where his family was waiting with dinner at the table. All of Ike’s favorite foods were splayed out, a few of the dishes being roast beef and potatoes, to which he tore into with gusto and satisfaction. They all laughed and enjoyed the meal shared together.

After the meal, cake was cut and songs were sung, and before they knew it, the evening was coming to a close and everyone retired to their respective bedrooms.

Once the door to Ike’s room was shut, warm arms were immediately wrapped around Soren’s lithe waist and Soren’s back was met with the warmth of Ike’s chest. Slow kisses were being peppered across Soren’s collar bone as he leaned into the touch. A warm hand traced the jut of the smaller boy’s hip and moved to slip under his shirt to feel across the flat expanse of skin.

“You smell good.” Ike noted while continuing to move his hands across Soren’s stomach.

“I haven’t done anything different.” Soren replied, and turned his head to kiss Ike on the cheek.

“Yeah.” Ike inhaled against the soft skin of Soren’s neck. A small shudder went through Soren’s body and he felt himself grow more aroused at each of the touches blazing across his skin. “This has been a nice birthday.”

Soren opens his eyes when Ike’s words rung in his ears. Oh right, his gift.

“Wait, Ike, I need to give you your gift.” Soren reluctantly moved away from Ike’s embrace. They moved to sit on the edge of Ike’s bed and Soren reached into his pocket but didn’t feel the letter. _Oh no,_ Soren thought, panic started seeping into his blood like fire. He slipped his hands into his front and back pockets for even the slightest chance he put it in there instead, but there was nothing but spare coins and pieces of lint that lined them. _Oh no no no no, this can’t be happening. How did I lose it? I put it in my pocket this morning and didn’t take it out. What am I going to do?_ Disappointment and embarrassment were creeping its way into his body, Soren’s shoulders started to tremble.

“Soren? What’s wrong?” Ike asked urgently upon seeing the obvious distress on Soren’s face. His face was pink and his eyebrows were turned into a frown trying to find his words. “Please don’t be worried that I won’t like your gift, I promise--”

“I-I lost it,” Soren said suddenly, his head tilted downward and dark hair falling over his heated face. “I put it in my pocket this morning and now I can’t find it. I’m sorry, I don’t want to disappoint you.” Soren thought desperately to where it could’ve been, but he knew one-hundred percent that it was tucked away within his hoodie. Now he had nothing to give Ike except for his miserable expression. He was tired of being a disgrace to his father and now he couldn’t even look Ike in the eyes. Soren wasn’t expecting to be pulled closed and wrapped in Ike’s strong arms again.

“I would never be disappointed in you. Sometimes stuff happens and we lose things. I promise it’s okay.” Ike whispered as he ran a hand through Soren’s hair in reassurance.

“I’m also upset because I spent all night working on it for you, but now you won’t get to see it.” Soren lifted his face away from Ike’s chest to wipe away a glob of tears from one of his eyes.

“It was something you made yourself?” Ike asked in surprise and thumbed the tears away from Soren’s other eye. Soren nodded and cleared his throat.

“It wasn’t a big gift or anything, but I thought it would be nice to write you a letter. I know that’s kind of boring, but I thought you might like it anyway.” Ike gazed off to the side of the room in thought.

  
“Was the letter in an envelope about this big--” Ike made a rectangle shape with his hands, “--and white?”

“Most envelopes look like that, Ike.”

“I know I know, but lemme just.” Ike stood up and went over to retrieve his backpack that was on the floor. After bringing it back to the bed, he unzipped the zipper quickly and pulled out an envelope. Soren gaped at the letter in his hand and then looked up to meet his eyes.

“That’s my letter! Where did you find it?” Soren’s face immediately lifted, his eyes going wide.

“It was at the bottom of the stairwell on the east side of the school. I saw it and picked it up before classes ended.” Ike explained. Ohhh, that’s right.

“Ah, it was probably there from when I was shoved and fell,” Soren mentioned offhandedly, but Ike’s face contorted into a scowl.

“Wait what? You were pushed? Who was it? I might have to have a word with them.” He muttered the last part to himself.

“No, no I’m okay. You should open the letter though.”

Ike nodded and carefully tore the paper. He slipped the folded card out from the envelope and instantly admired the intricate designs that decorated the flat of the paper. Soren silently chewed his tooth indented lip as he watched Ike’s eyes move slowly across the paper in his hands. 

_I hope he likes it,_ Soren thought and flitted his eyes between Ike’s and the paper. _Maybe if he doesn’t like it I can find another gift. Yeah, that’s a good idea._

Soren mentally nodded to himself and almost missed the sniffle coming from beside him.

“Ike? Are you okay?” Upon further inspection, tiny drops of tears were forming in the corners of Ike’s eyes as he read the letter. Despite being concerned, Soren was genuinely confused as to why his boyfriend was crying. He didn’t write about anything sad or depressing, so why was he wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt?

_Oh,_ Soren’s face fell and he started fidgeting with his hands, _he must not like the letter, I should’ve seen that coming. It isn’t interesting or anything. I should just apologize and--_

Soren’s face collided with the tough muscle of Ike’s abs as he was squeezed into a tight hug before falling into the bed.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just so happy.” He hugged Soren’s small body closer to his own. “This is a wonderful birthday gift, thank you so much.”

“Oh, I’m happy you like it. For a second I was worried you were crying because you hated it. To be honest, I wasn’t very confident you would like it at all.” Soren mumbled into Ike’s shirt.

“I’d like anything you give me. Did I tell you that? I can’t remember.” Ike replied against the top of Soren’s head in an affectionate manner.

“Yes, you told me. I just second guess myself because I’ve never l-loved someone before.” Soren averted his gaze away from Ike. He was still getting used to the word on his tongue and as a result, made him feel heat in his cheeks. Ike’s warm hand slipped beside Soren’s face and stroked the soft skin with the pad of his thumb before pulling him into a sweet kiss. 

“Well, I’ll just have to keep telling you until it sticks in that smart brain of yours.” Ike smiled and tapped Soren’s temple for emphasis. Soren nodded shyly, tilting his head back up to Ike’s into another kiss.

They slowly kissed each other for what felt like the better part of an hour until Soren broke the connection between their lips, their breath more labored than what it was before.

“Do you want to continue what we started earlier?” The smaller of the two boys asked with half-lidded eyes.

Soren took it as a ‘yes’ when Ike smiled at him and captured his lips again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might write the sex scene of this chapter separately. I wanted to focus on their softness for this one :) Also I hc Soren's birthday to be sometime in November, but I felt like that wouldn't really work during the events of this story.


	5. Gardenias and Graduation (June)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short wrap up chapter.

**June**

The sun hung low in the sky and cast a warm orange glow across the football field where Ike and Soren stood amongst their other classmates. They were standing next to each other, dressed in caps and gowns that showed off the school colors. Ike’s family were sitting on the bleachers beside the field and watched as students walked across the grass to shake hands with the principal and to finally accept their diploma. Cheers were heard from Ike and Ranulf as Boyd stood up and began across the field, tears of joy spilling from his eyes. 

One by one, more students were given their diplomas until it was Ike’s name that was called over the choppy speaker. He stood up a little too quickly, nervous excitement evident by the crease of his brows and stiffness of his face. Ike made his way to the raised platform and received his certificate of graduation. 

Soren wasn’t long after, and he crossed the field in short strides, his father nowhere to be seen in the crowd of parents and family members in the crowd. That hardly bothered him when he heard the encouragement from Mist and her parents up where they were seated.

After the last student accepted their diploma, “And this concludes the graduation of the class of 2005!” was sounded by the principle in boisterous exclamation.

Hat were thrown up into the air, whoops and clapping were electric through the wind from the feeling of ending a chapter in their lives. Amongst the yells of excitement, a warm hand found its place on the side of Soren’s face. Soren turned his gaze and felt something silky brush against his cheek and slip behind his ear. Purple petals filled his peripheral vision and Soren tilted up his head to meet Ike’s eyes.

“What’s this?” Soren brought his fingers up to the flower in his hair to be sure it wouldn’t tumble out from where it sat on his ear.

“It’s an iris. They grow out in the fields of Gallia.” Ike said, admiring the way the flower complimented his features.

Soren remembered when Ike told him that. When he noticed the family photo taped snuggly to the dashboard all those months ago. The picture was faded but the colors were stunning nonetheless.

“Soren?” Ike's tentative voice took Soren from his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Will you come to Gallia with me and my family? We’re going there again this summer, and I want to show you the flowers there. It would mean a lot to me if you came.” Ike spoke sweetly, the buzz from the people around them began to simmer down to chatter and laughter. There was a twinkle in Ike’s eyes as he awaited a response. Soren couldn’t help the corners of his mouth dimple into a smile, the nerves in his arms making him lung forward and loop around Ike’s neck into a hug.

“I would love that.” Soren murmured into his ear.

Ike wrapped his arms around Soren’s body and held him close to his chest.

“You’re my wildflower.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading : )


End file.
